FORT COLLINS, Colo. -Larry Eustachy, the 2000 Associated Press and U.S. Basketball Writers Association National Coach of the Year, has been introduced as the 19th head coach in the history of the Colorado State men's basketball program.

CSU President Dr. Tony Frank and Director of Athletics Jack Graham made the announcement Thursday afternoon at Moby Arena.

"In Larry Eustachy, Colorado State has one of the most well respected minds in college basketball," said Graham. "Larry has been highly successful at every stop throughout his career. I know that he is the right man to lead Colorado State to new heights."

A veteran mentor with more than 30 seasons of coaching experience - including 21 seasons as a head coach - Eustachy has amassed an impressive 402-258 record in stops at Idaho (1990-93), Utah State (1993-98), Iowa State (1998-03) and Southern Miss (2004-12), leading his squads to 10 campaigns of 20 or more victories, seven postseason berths (including four NCAA tournament appearances), and six conference championships.

"Larry Eustachy is a person of great accomplishment," said Frank. "He is someone who has proven, time and again, that he is one of the best in his business, with an exceptional record of excellence.

"We expect our basketball program to reflect the academic excellence that is the foundation of this university; indeed, we expect from all our athletic programs the same thing we expect from our faculty, our students and our staff -- a burning desire to be the very best at what we do. In Larry Eustachy, we have found someone who shares that uncompromising spirit."

Eustachy, a native of Alameda, Calif., and a 1979 graduate of Long Beach State University, has garnered numerous coaching honors throughout his illustrious career. In addition to his two National Coach of the Year nods in 2000, he was also the 2001 runner-up for the AP's top coaching honor.

He was twice named the Big West and Big 12 Coach of the Year during stints at Utah State (1995 and 1998) and Iowa State (2000 and 2001), respectively, and joins the Rams after leading his Southern Miss Golden Eagles' squad to 25 wins in 2011-12 to earn the 2012 Conference USA Coach of the Year award. Eustachy is also the reigning National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) District 11 Coach of the Year.

Eustachy's coaching career began at the age of 22 as an assistant coach at Citrus (Calif.) College, where he played two seasons after a standout prep career at Arcadia High School. From 1981-90 Eustachy honed his skills as an assistant at Division I schools Mississippi State (1981-86), Idaho (1986-87), Utah (1987-89) and Ball State (1989-90) before taking his first head coaching job at Idaho (1990-93).

Following his stint at Idaho, Eustachy spent five seasons (1993-98) as the head coach at Utah State (1993-98). He then took over for close friend Tim Floyd at Iowa State, spending five seasons in Ames, Iowa, and leading the Cyclones to the Elite Eight in the 2000 NCAA tournament.

Eustachy has spent the last eight seasons at Southern Miss, where he resurrected the Golden Eagles program and led USM to four 20 win seasons, including each of the last three campaigns.